Words from the chair

Meet the…

John McIntosh, Chair of Computer Art

"I have always felt fortunate to be surrounded by smart, talented artists - much smarter and more talented then I could ever imagine or deserve."

John received an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Art at Yale University and is a widely exhibited photographer and experienced educator. Previous to SVA, John was the Associate Director of the Kodak Center for Creative Imaging; the Director of Technology Programs and the Associate Director of Education at the American Film Institute; and, the Director of Training and Artist Development at Digital Domain.

John McIntosh has served as a member of the Educational Advisory Committee of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Media Habitat Advisory Committee of the Canadian Film Centre. From 1997 to 1998, he authored the feature article Key Frame for MacWEEK magazine. John was a contributing editor to RES magazine, where his feature article POV appeared from 1999-2001. John was appointed the Chair of the Computer Animation Festival for SIGGRAPH 2002 and as a member of the advisory boards of FMX 2011 and PROMAX BDA, as well as a jury member for SIGGRAPH ASIA 2012.

Chair's Suggestions

Image Credit: Shendy Wu

SUGGESTED READING

We recommend the following books to learn more on Computer Animation, Visual Effects and Motion Graphics:

Animators Survival Kit, Richard Williams

CINEFEX Magazine

Cinematic Motion, Steve Katz

Experimental Typography, Rob Carter

The Illusion of Life, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas

Shot by Shot, Steve Katz

Timing for Animation, Harold Whitaker and John Halas

General Reading:

The New York Times

The Onion

The Village Voice

The Wall Street Journal

The Brooklyn Rail

Must see animated movies and classic films

The Birds and Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock

Citizen Kane, Orson Welles

Day for Night, Truffaut

Elephant Man, David Lynch

Hable Con Ella, Almodóvar

Koyaanisqatsi / Powaqqatsi, Reggio

Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese

Stealing Beauty, Bertolini

Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki

Visions of Light (Anthology of Cinematographers), American Film Institute

Wallace and Gromit, Nick Park

The Iron Giant, Brad Bird

Any Pixar Animated Film

Where To See Classic Films:

Angelika Film Center, 18 West Houston Street, (212) 995-2000

Cinema Classics, 332 East 11th Street, (212) 971-1015

Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, (212) 727-8110

What to do while in New York City:

Walk through Central Park on Sunday

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Take the Subway to Coney Island

Go to a Broadway play

Go to an Off Broadway play

Visit museums, such as The Frick Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, American Museum of the Moving Image, Museum of Television and Radio, International Center of Photography

Check out the art galleries around Chelsea, SoHo, the Lower East Side, and Williamsburg

Attend local software user group meetings

Attend Shakespeare in The Park (Central Park)

The Operas and Philharmonic in Central Park

Midsummer Swing at Lincoln Center

Take notice of the architecture in NYC, from Washington Heights to the Woolworth Building downtown